The bishop of Den Bosch, Gerard de Korte, was startled on Sunday during a church service in the Maria Nativity Church in Nijmegen by a man who suddenly rushed towards him. Before anything actually happened, he was overpowered by bystanders.
De Korte led the service, which too via a live stream was to follow. The images show a man running from the church towards the choir. Before he can get there, the man standing next to the bishop flees forward to stop the attacker, who shouts something unclear.
Within a few seconds, several people come to help and the man is overpowered. He is then immediately taken away. The church service then continues as if nothing had happened.
It is unclear exactly what the man planned to do. The parish in Nijmegen informed RK Boulevard that the matter has been resolved internally. A spokesperson for the diocese of ‘s-Hertogenbosch said on Friday that Bishop De Korte “did not experience the incident as serious”.